This paper develops a framework to examine how ad agencies can continuously generate creative output, where creative output estimated by ad agencies winning awards over time. The data are collected from 68 Dutch ad agencies with a total of 1,450 clients over a four-year period in the Netherlands. Findings show that ad agencies with creative climates high in both organizational encouragement and workload pressure but low in both work group support and sufficient resources predicts why ad agencies win awards over time. In addition, ad agencies with a portfolio of clients that consists of market leaders and that operate within a limited amount of industries (limited heterogeneity) also predict creative award propensity and momentum over time. Suggestions for future research are offered.

doi.org/10.2753/JOA0091-3367370410, hdl.handle.net/1765/15853
ERIM Top-Core Articles
Journal of Advertising
Erasmus Research Institute of Management

Verbeke, W., Franses, P. H., Blanc, A., & van Ruiten, N. (2008). Finding the keys to creativity in ad agencies using climate, dispersion, and size to examine award performance. Journal of Advertising, 37(4), 121–130. doi:10.2753/JOA0091-3367370410